The Duet of Two Cities
by Inclinant
Summary: Through the years our wings have grown and we have flown away, into that bright blue sky we once only looked wistfully at... Will we ever find each other again? Oneshot. Hong Kong x OC! Singapore. Written for Singapore's National Day.


**Chapter 1**

**A/N:** Written for Singapore on her National Day. Happy 46th Birthday Singapore! Rather roughly done since I was rushing it out to post it before August 9 is over!

Summary: Through the years our wings have grown and we have flown away, into that bright blue sky we once only looked wistfully at... Will we ever find each other again?

Pairings: Hong Kong x Singapore (OC)

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Hetalia. I do own my OC! Singapore though!

* * *

><p><strong>The Duet of the Two Cities<strong>

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way…"

- Opening Paragraph of Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

* * *

><p><em>We've grown up together,<em>

_Under that bright blue sky,_

_Through the years our wings have grown_

_And we have flown away_

_Into that bright blue sky that we once only looked wistfully at_

_In opposite directions_

_Will we ever find each other again?_

* * *

><p><em><span>August 8, 2011<span>_

_Eve of 46th__National Day_

She had never truly felt what autumn was like but she was sure that her feelings right now would probably mirror that melancholic season perfectly. Singapore sighed and set down her pen, unwilling to do any more paperwork. The clock ticked loudly in the deafening silence of the night, although she could vaguely hear the faint strains of sounds of a party happening in a nearby house.

It was coming to twelve midnight. Five more minutes and it would be the next day. She picked up her desk calendar and struck off the eight of the August from it. Five more minutes to the next day. Five more minutes to the ninth of August.

She glanced back at the stack of reports that were still sitting on her desk. The world situation was horrible, to say the least. Between all the craziness of America's debt deal and the still worsening Eurozone debt crisis, not to mention the thousands of other madness going on in the world…

What a happy birthday indeed. She shook her head and ran a tired hand through her messy long black hair. Casting one final glance at the pile of papers, she got up and left the desk, headed straight for the balcony that was attached to her study room.

The night air was cool and refreshing, a stark contrast to the usual burning heat of the day. The sky wasn't pitch black, but rather an odd shade of dark lavender and peach. Not a single star punctuated the endless blanket of the sky, all blocked out by the glittering lights that shone from the endless series of high-rises.

_Why does a mere 2600 kilometres feel like an eternity away? We might as well be at two ends of the universe._

A cold gust of wind picked up, spiraling through the houses, carrying the faint tendrils of the sound of fireworks and celebrations with it.

_When did we start drifting apart without even realizing it?_

The clock struck twelve. Cheers exploded from around the neighbourhood. Singapore slipped out her white iphone from her pocket and checked her twitter, the flood of happy birthday tweets bringing a smile to her face. Her people were incredible. Somehow they had actually managed to make 'Happy Birthday Singapore' a trending topic worldwide.

Small but powerful indeed. She chuckled, before pocketing her phone. Today was her birthday…she'd at least deserved a birthday wish right?

_I wish you would come to my side._

* * *

><p><em><span>1842, Nanking Treaty<span>_

"Hong…Kong?" Singapore looked quizzically at the boy beside England. He was slightly taller than her and was wearing a plain white shirt and dark brown pants. Was he Chinese? He looked Chinese. His hair and eyes were dark brown like hers, though his skin was lighter than hers. He was silent, staring down at the floor while hugging a stuffed panda in his arms.

England nodded and nudged the boy forward. "Yes, he doesn't speak much English though. Well…make friends with him for now; I'll be back in a while."

"You're going out again? But you just came back!" Singapore started then fell silent sullenly as England did not even seem to hear her words. Sighing, she turned her attention back to the new boy. England had said that he didn't speak much English so…

"Um… _Ni hao?"_She tried. Hong Kong looked up, startled, then looked away.

"Ni…Ni hao…" He mumbled back. Singapore frowned, wondering what else she could say. Her eyes fell onto the stuffed panda in Hong Kong's arms.

"That panda is very cute! Can you let me see? I'll let you play with my toy lion!" She smiled, then faltered as the boy remained silent.

"Well…if you don't want to… it's okay…" Singapore mumbled, disappointed. Suddenly, the stuffed panda was shoved into her sight. She jumped back, startled and looked up.

Hong Kong's eyes were stilled pinned to the floor but there was a light blush on his face even as he held the panda out.

"You…You can play with it if you want…" He mumbled. Singapore brightened in delight.

"Let's play together!" She beamed, before grabbing Hong Kong's hand and dragging the surprised boy to her room.

* * *

><p>"Hong Kong?" Singapore ran through the house, looking out for the dark haired Chinese boy that was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished ever since yesterday… She had searched nearly the whole house already but still could not find him. Frowning, Singapore paced up and down the corridor, mentally ticking off the places that she had checked already. Wait, had she checked the attic yet?<p>

That's right, the attic! She raced over to the far end of the corridor and pulled down the foldable wooden stairs, fearlessly clambering up and unlatching the trapdoor on the roof. Poking her head through the trapdoor, she brightened at the sight of the small figure crouching in the corner. She smiled, before pulling her lithe, small body through the trapdoor and bouncing to his side.

Hong Kong shrank away and hid his head in his knees. He was huddled in the far corner of the attic, arms wrapped around his knees. Singapore froze and knelt down beside him, touching his shoulder gently.

"Are you alright?" She asked, wondering how he would react if she got closer… Her eyes fell upon the back of the Hong Kong's smudged, stained white cotton shirt. It was stained dull red…and it was growing. She froze. How had that happened!

She immediately shrugged off her own coat, placing it around Hong Kong's thin shoulders. Had it been this chilly in the attic all this while? Singapore shivered slightly, then turned her attention back to Hong Kong. He had slumped against the wall, still curled up into a tight ball. She could make out soft sobs coming from him.

"Um…Um…" Singapore struggled to find the right words; her mandarin wasn't very good yet and she didn't know what to say. What could she say? She gave up. "What…what happened…?"

Hong Kong didn't reply. Singapore faltered, unsure if she would make the situation worse if she pressed on.

"Please…" She muttered, reaching out to tap Hong Kong lightly. She didn't like this horrible empty feeling that was gnawing away inside of her. The feeling that she could do nothing for those that she cared about…

"It's alright. I…I will stay by your side, okay?" Singapore gave a small smile as she settled next to Hong Kong, hugging herself to stay warm. They remained like that, in empathetic silence, until England had found them at dusk...

* * *

><p>Singapore peered out of the frosty glass window to the garden where the trees were already letting their autumn-hued leaves blanket the floor. She gazed at the two figures in the garden laughing and chatting with each other happily despite the swirling leaves. She could make out Hong Kong happily smiling – she had never seen him so happy before – as he talked to the other person, a taller, kind-looking Chinese man with long hair tied up in a low ponytail.<p>

She had seen the other before. Besides, she knew that only that person could be the reason that could make Hong Kong smile so broadly.

The two brothers painted a heartwarming picture, yet it was so achingly familiar and bitter. She gave a small smile, feeling happy that at last Hong Kong had managed to see his beloved brother. Sadly, she tore herself away from the window, thinking back to her own family. Would her own older brother ever come to see her? He hadn't, for so long. And she doubted that he ever would…

"Singapore! This… Oh…sorry…I entered without asking for permission again…"

Singapore's head shot up to see Hong Kong standing in her doorway with a sheepish look on his face. In his hands was a small box with elaborate Chinese words written all over it.

"Why are you here? Has China left already?"

Hong Kong's face fell slightly. "Y..yes… but he gave me this! It's my favourite snack! I…I wanted to share some with you…"

Singapore perked up. She jumped up from the bed and walked over to peer at the box. "What's that?"

Hong Kong beamed and opened it, letting the sweet aroma of the pastries inside waft out. "It's called…"

He flushed. Singapore nudged him, eyes still pinned to the delicious looking pastries. "What is it called?"

"Um…Sw..Sweetheart Biscuit…" Hong Kong mumbled, then hastily held the box out. Singapore gleefully plucked out one of the steaming hot biscuits and bit into the sweet filling before her mind registered Hong Kong's words. She choked and spluttered, painfully swallowing down one lump of the flaky, buttery pastry.

"It..It doesn't mean anything! It's just the name of the pastry…" His voice trailed away as his blush grew fiercer.

"Oh…" Singapore's face fell momentarily, then she laughed and smiled at Hong Kong. "I know! It's delicious! Come on, we should eat before it grows cold!"

* * *

><p><em><span>1945<span>_

_Post- WWII, End of Japanese Occupation_

_Return of Japanese Occupied Territories to the United Kingdom_

Singapore paced up and down the room, ignoring the discomfort caused from moving while her wounds were still fresh. Her black eyes darkened as she remembered how they had been inflicted upon her…

_Gunshots, rivers of blood, her people, dying one by one by one in the rain of bullets…fear, terror,death…_

…_Japan…_

She shook her head, brushing away the horrible memories of her Occupation. Singapore spun around, looking back at the door for the thousandth time, desperately wishing it would hurry up and open. She strode furiously to the end again, before jumping around upon hearing a click.

England walked into the room, a smaller figure with a bandaged arm tagging along after him. Singapore froze, then smiled, tears of happiness springing to her eyes.

"Hong Kong!"

The Chinese boy glanced up at her exclamation, a large smile immediately growing on his face. "Singapore!"

"I'm so glad you are alright!" They both laughed out as they fell into each other's arms.

* * *

><p><em><span>August 31, 1963<span>_

_Independence from the United Kingdom_

"Must you really leave?" Hong Kong said, punctuating the dead silence of the night. He looked dismayed, the sadness shinning through his deep brown eyes even as his right hand curled around the edge of the large metal gate. Singapore nodded, grimly gazing back at the house where she had spent nearly three quarters of her life in. England's house. It was time for her to leave. She had to stand by herself now. She would create a better Singapore, with Malaysia. She was sure of that.

The war had made her see, understand that England couldn't protect her…nor did he wanted to anyway. She couldn't depend on anyone now. She could never be the same again, nor could she ever go back to that time where she was just an innocent, naïve child playing with Hong Kong in England's house. Grimly, she picked up the suitcase by her side. Malaya…No, he was Malaysia now, was waiting for her in a car some distance away. He had refused to go near England's house.

"Yes…I…I cannot stay here anymore," She whispered back, before hastily turning around and breaking into a run. She didn't want him to see her tears.

Singapore only stopped when she reached where Malaysia was waiting for her. Her brother merely picked up her suitcase silently and gestured for her to get into the car. Casting one final look back at her old home, she whispered one final goodbye.

_But I won't say goodbye to you…because I believe that I will see you again._

* * *

><p><em><span>August 9, 1965<span>_

_Separation from Malaysia_

_Independence_

This couldn't be possible! Singapore stared at the paper that shook in her trembling hand, tears blurring her vision. She collapsed to the ground, one hand shakily reaching out to the wall to steady herself. Her eyes read and reread the neatly penned words on the paper in disbelief. How could her brother just…just leave her like this, once again?

_Why? Am I not good enough for you?_

Her tears shattered on the icy stone floor. The paper was already crushed in her hands as she weakly punched against the floor, wondering why this was happening to her. She didn't want to be independent! She just wanted to be with her brother, yet he along with his parliament had unanimously agreed to throw her out._Why? Why did her brother hate her so?_

"_For me, this is a moment of anguish. All my life, my whole adult life, I have believed in merger and unity of the two territories."_

Singapore forced her tears to stop, wiping them roughly away as her eyes now glared fiercely at the paper in her hands. Gripping it tightly, she ripped it to shreds before throwing them to the wind. Very well, _if there would be no one there for her…she would take on the world alone._

She paused, remembering the other letter in her pocket. Swiftly opening the envelope, she hastily scanned through the contents of the beautifully written letter, a warm smile lighting up on her tear-stained face. Although the letter was in English, the final line was in Chinese…

_我会一直在你的身__边_

_I will always be by your side_

* * *

><p><em>Maybe I won't be all alone then…<em>

* * *

><p><em><span>August 9, 2011<span>_

_46th__National Day_

"Honestly, it's your birthday; shouldn't you be out there celebrating or something?"

Singapore blinked, shooting up in her chair as a very familiar voice suddenly cut through the silence of her study. Whirling her chair around, she stared in disbelief at the person, nation rather, standing in her doorway.

"England? What are you doing here…How did you get in?" She asked, standing up and frantically organizing her messy desk. How did she let it get that disorganized anyway? Scowling, she swiped several papers to a side, before neatly rearranging her files and stationery. There, now it was all neater and much better. Satisfied, she turned back to her the surprise intruder, no, _visitor,_ of her study.

"Well, Malaysia gave me the key," England shrugged, holding out the silver key to the smaller Asian girl. Singapore gasped and swiped the key from his hand, muttering under her breath that she would totally kill her older brother for this.

"You really shouldn't be stuck here doing…paperwork, on a day like this, you know," England said as Singapore ushered him out of her study to the living room.

"Well, the national day celebrations haven't started yet and I only have a bit more of work to finish…" Singapore's voice trailed away as she vanished into the kitchen. "By the way, you want Earl Grey right? With two cubes of sugar and two teaspoons of milk?"

"Yes, thank you," England replied as the young girl came back into the living room, setting down a cup of steaming tea before him. She settled into the opposite seat, sipping her tea. Green, he noted, when she set it down.

"I thought you loved taking tea with milk when you were younger," He remarked. Singapore's head jerked up, surprised.

"I did? Oh…yes," Singapore laughed. "I still do but I prefer to drink my tea plain nowadays."

"So…um, how did you find my house anyway? I mean, I just moved recently…Wait, let me guess, Malaysia told you," Singapore said dryly, then a thought struck her. How on earth did her Saudara even get the key to her house in the first place? She was so changing the lock.

"Yes, Malaysia told me the directions to your house. I did get slightly lost though, but a local directed me here. I haven't been here for what, a few years at most, and it seems as though everything is different," England replied, meeting the Singaporean's shining black eyes.

Singapore laughed, "It hasn't changed that much…Okay, there have been quite a lot of new developments in these recent years-"

"As always, isn't it? You seem to be forever changing, and at such a fast rate too. Sometimes I really can't believe that is the same island that I knew forty six years ago. Now it's all modern skyscrapers and high rise buildings," He gestured out of the windows to illustrate his point.

"Well, it was difficult at first," Singapore shrugged, a slight smile gracing her lips as she remembered the rollercoaster ride of her short history. It had really been an uphill task for a country the size of a dot on the world map to make her way in the world. "Everything turned out all right in the end anyway."

"Maybe I shouldn't have doubted your capabilities…" England said softly.

Singapore gave a half smile and whispered under her breath, "You weren't the only one…the whole world thought that I would fail…Except for him…"

Looking up, she replied, "I didn't think I could make it too, either. Especially after Malaysia kicked me out of his house…"

"Singa! Your door was unlocked so we…Oh, hello!" The front door of Singapore's house suddenly burst open as a group of Asians flocked in.

"Older Sister Philippines, Laos, Vietnam and Taiwan-jie! What are you all doing here?" Singapore exclaimed as she leapt up to join her sisters. A massive group hug ensued as the poor Singaporean was buried under a flurry of silk, cloth and flowing black hair.

"Happy Birthday Singa!"

"新加坡，生日快乐!" _Happy Birthday Singapore!_

Singapore somehow managed to wriggle her way out of the group, "Where are the rest? Did all of you come together?"

Philippines laughed. "Not really, Singa. I came here with Brunei and ran into Malaysia, Indonesia and Timor Leste along the way."

"I came with Cambodia, then we ran into Thailand, Laos and Myanmar along the way so we all came together," Vietnam added.

"So where are they now?" Singapore asked, half-dreading the sudden burst of nations that may suddenly flood into her house.

Taiwan laughed, "Do they matter? I tried convincing China, Korea and Japan to come but they all said they had something on. Horrible family members aren't they? I mean, you are our half-sister at least!"

"Um…What about Hong Kong?"

Taiwan frowned, "I didn't see him at home, I don't know where he went to."

"Oh…" Singapore sighed. She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

* * *

><p><em>It's been so long already…<em>

_Maybe what I am hoping for is already long gone._

* * *

><p><em>In a heartbeat….I'll be there for you….<em>

The view of Marina Bay from the Marina Bay Sands Skypark was breathtaking. Singapore smiled as she leaned against the railings and looked down at the glowing stage and the sea of red and white that filled the grandstands of the floating platform. Cheers and music filled the night sky which was adorned with the multi-coloured lights from her beautiful skyline.

Soon her favourite part, the fireworks, would start. Her family had already vanished into the crowd of revelers; she shuddered at the thought of what some of them could be doing. She just hoped that they didn't wreck too much of a havoc already. After messing up her house, they had dragged her out – she'd also found out that England had been part of the plan, that liar! – to the Marina Bay Sands hotel where she'd discovered that they'd booked several rooms to throw a madcap birthday party for her.

Singapore had barely managed to extricate herself from the madness and escape to the skypark to catch a breath of fresh air.

_In a heartbeat…no one else will do._

Her ears picked up strains of the national day theme song and smiled. She loved this day. The scene of her people cheering loudly for their country, for _her,_ nearly made her cry in happiness. Every year, on this day, she remembered the uncertainty of the past, where she didn't even know if she would live to see the next day. The world was as uncertain now as it had been in the past, but she'd already come this far. She was sure that she could continue on.

_In a heartbeat…we will always be. Together, united, you and me…_

Singapore smiled, then faltered as a familiar face floated once more into her memory. He had promised that he would always be there for her right? And yet now…they were so distant. We will always be. Together…huh…So much for that…

"Singapore!"

"Yes…?" She put the smile back onto her face and turned around, wondering which member of her family it was that had come to find her and hoping that it wasn't for something crazy again.

"Hong…Kong…?" She breathed out, unable to believe her eyes as the teenage boy smiled as he walked forward, his hands behind his back. He darted forward through the crowd, his dark brown eyes being lit up beautifully by the lights.

"Er…I know white isn't an auspicious colour but…I figured that red and white are your national colours so…" Hong Kong said softly, before holding out the bouquet of red and white roses awkwardly. Singapore stared at the rose blooms in front of her and smiled, happily accepting the large bouquet and holding it close to her.

"I'm sorry for not having...talked to you in such a long time…"

"No…It's my fault too I guess," She smiled, lowering her head to breathe in the wonderfully scented roses.

"Singapore…"

"Yes.." She looked up, only to gasp as Hong Kong leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to hers as rainbows of light were thrown upon them from the fireworks that were bursting in the night sky…

* * *

><p><em>In a heartbeat….I'll be there for you….<em>

_In a heartbeat…no one else will do._

_In a heartbeat…we will always be. Together, united, you and me…_

* * *

><p>"Oh, yes, what was China, Korea and Japan so busy with? Taiwan said something about them being too busy to come down…"<p>

Hong Kong frowned as he tried to remember what his older brothers had been doing. "I'm not sure…They were discussing about something behind me and Taiwan-jie's backs…China-ge did say something about not bothering the young ones… He actually pushed me to come, saying something like Singapore was such a nice girl and that I must go down for your birthday and get you something nice…"

Singapore frowned, looking back down at the gilded golden envelope in her hand that she'd received in the mail this morning. It contained a paid-for deluxe honeymoon suite in one of her five-star hotels along with an equally expensive honeymoon package. It had been addressed to her and Hong Kong…

This did not have something to do with her three older half brothers, did it…?

* * *

><p>Notes:<p>

The distance between Hong Kong and Singapore is roughly 2600 km (so says google maps anyway)

Modern Singapore was founded in 1819, before the Treaty of Nanking in 1842.

Singapore's name is derived from Singapura. Which means 'Lion City'. Hence her lion stuffed toy.

Sweetheart Biscuit or Wife's Biscuit is a really delicious pastry made with wintermelon, almond paste, sesame and five spice powder. It is very popular in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

From February 15, 1942 to 1945, Singapore was occupied by Japanese forces. (Hong Kong too, but I'm not too sure about the details, besides, this fic is about Singapore isn't it? :) ). The Japanese introduced a system called Sook Ching which led to the mass massacre of Singaporean Chinese.

In August 31, 1963, Singapore gained independence from the United Kingdom and later joined Malaysia to form the Federation of Malaysia. However, due to disputes in political ideology and many conflicts, Malaysia later kicked Singapore out in 1965, hence forcing Singapore to gain independence (unwillingly.) The quote written there was said by Lee Kuan Yew on the day the separation was announced. He later became the first Prime Minister of the new nation.

On the Chinese written by Hong Kong and spoken by Taiwan...they would not use the simplified Chinese script but I am not too good with the traditional script so the simplified script is used for now.

Taiwan-jie/ China-ge - The suffix attached to their names mean 'older sister' and 'older brother' respectively.

"In a Heartbeat" is the National Day Theme Song. Usually, the national day parade ends with a display of fireworks which is the highlight of the event.


End file.
